FOUR Watch Winders on a chain and my FOURTH colonial shoe buckle this year!

[Donnie B from VA]

Got out with my buddy, Danny, on Sunday to hit some cellar holes. It was a great day for digging in March. I love the weather we have been having this year. The day started slow for me and I only made a couple of finds before our lunch break including this possible International Order of Odd Fellows silver plated (lead backed) rosette. After we stopped to eat lunch I went back to the cellar hole because I kept telling myself that there had to be a coin next to the hole. This hole was filled with trash from the 30's or 50's (I suppose). I didn't find the coin I was looking for but I did make a unique find. I found a watch chain with FOUR watch winders! Late in the day I made my final great find and it was my FOURTH colonial shoe buckle this year!

 

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[Digger RJ]

Nice!!!! Congrats !!!!

 

[Simon1]

Congrats!!! Very Nice!!!

 

[CRUSADER]

Wow who has four fob watches! I wonder if he just kept all his old broken ones on there?

 

[ToddsPoint]

I'm curious about these shoe buckles. How did they get in the ground? Did they "fall off" the shoes? Were the shoes old and thrown away with the buckle? They seem too substantial to just "fall off". Gary

 

[Trezurehunter]

What an excellent batch of relics. I like that chain with the 4 winders on it.

 

[trdking]

Wow who has four fob watches! I wonder if he just kept all his old broken ones on there?

This could have belonged to watch repair man? Very ornate keys on a non gold utility chain. Anyone one that could afford a watch let alone several would at least have the keys on a gold chain so I think repairman watchmaker neat find for sure

 

[CRUSADER]

This could have belonged to watch repair man? Very ornate keys on a non gold utility chain. Anyone one that could afford a watch let alone several would at least have the keys on a gold chain so I think repairman watchmaker neat find for sure

Not a bad idea, could well be.

 

[BLK HOLE]

Them some dang fine saves! Congrats

 

[Donnie B from VA]

Wow who has four fob watches! I wonder if he just kept all his old broken ones on there?

This could have belonged to watch repair man? Very ornate keys on a non gold utility chain. Anyone one that could afford a watch let alone several would at least have the keys on a gold chain so I think repairman watchmaker neat find for sure

It does make you wonder why there are four watch winders. My theory was that the owner of the fob may have saved his grandfather's watch winders and perhaps also had more than one watch. It definitely made a nice fob to hang from your watch pocket. All four of the watch winders show traces of gilt but I didn't find any on the chain. That lends credence to the watch maker's theory since you would expect the chain to be gilded too.

 

[Donnie B from VA]

I'm curious about these shoe buckles. How did they get in the ground? Did they "fall off" the shoes? Were the shoes old and thrown away with the buckle? They seem too substantial to just "fall off". Gary

That is definitely a mystery on some of them. We find many that are broken and finding a pair is extremely rare. This one actually has a piece of thread wrapped around the crossbar which would have most likely came from the stitching on the shoe leather. It's remarkable that the thread survived from the late 1700's but it does happen.

 

[DCMatt]

It's remarkable that the thread survived from the late 1700's but it does happen.

I have found buttons around here with hemp thread still attached. They came from an 1820's - 30's lumber camp a couple miles from my house. They seem to have been ripped from shirts during the heavy work of felling trees.

A digging buddy of mine down in Norfolk dug a dozen or so unused US uniform buttons from the revolutionary war still tied together with hemp string. Now THAT was a find!

 

[MKW]

That's a nice pile! Congrats.
If I may...what makes you think that the rosette might be from the Odd Fellows?? I'm just trying to learn something, not questioning your assessment.

 

[xcopperstax]

Wow the watch winder chain with winders is amazing! I still haven't found a watch winder so I am in awe of that! Pretty unique! and the buckle!? Well it's tough to top that it looks like a really nice buckle from the days of olde!!!! So nice to find those!

 

[djackson7348]

Nice. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Donnie B from VA]

That's a nice pile! Congrats.
If I may...what makes you think that the rosette might be from the Odd Fellows?? I'm just trying to learn something, not questioning your assessment.

I'm not sure which is why I am calling it a "possible" Odd Fellows rosette. It definitely resembles their logo which the three links of a chain. That and it has a very heavy silver plating which makes me think that it was something special. It has a lead back which would date it to the mid-1800's or earlier.

 

[trdking]

A digging buddy of mine down in Norfolk dug a dozen or so unused US uniform buttons from the revolutionary war still tied together with hemp string. Now THAT was a find!

A Banner find if he would have posted them here!!!

 

[MKW]

I'm not sure which is why I am calling it a "possible" Odd Fellows rosette. It definitely resembles their logo which the three links of a chain. That and it has a very heavy silver plating which makes me think that it was something special. It has a lead back which would date it to the mid-1800's or earlier.

Thanks. After reading this, I googled "Odd Fellows symbols" and learned about the 3 links of chain. This info is very important to me because I have a gold ring passed down to me from my Great Grandfather that has that 3-link symbol on it. I am grateful that you posted this and glad that I saw it...so, thanks!

 

[Silver Tree Chaser]

I have found buttons around here with hemp thread still attached. They came from an 1820's - 30's lumber camp a couple miles from my house. They seem to have been ripped from shirts during the heavy work of felling trees.

A digging buddy of mine down in Norfolk dug a dozen or so unused US uniform buttons from the revolutionary war still tied together with hemp string. Now THAT was a find!

Same here - I dug a Civil War button with thread still tied to the shank. Excellent finds to the OP. Four watch winders in one hole - that's quite a trick, and a nice shoe buckle as well.

 

[Steve in PA]

That was a great hunt you had there! Very nice rossette and shoe buckle, but the multiple watch winders on the same chain is amazing. The poor guy lost his winder and all his back ups. Just goes to show, don't put all your eggs in one basket. Or...maybe...he had a really complicted watch with multiple motions requiring multiple keys?